Magda Szubanski

I couldn't put this book down. It's going to stay with me a long, long time. Her descriptions of suburban Melbourne life in the eighties hit me over the head like a hammer. Likewise her sense of herself, or lack of it, as a teenager and young adult. There were times I felt she was describing MY mind, not hers. Magda is much, much braver than I. I find myself wanting to sit down with her and have a long, long talk about things. That and cry. A lot.

If you're the child of European immigrants, show more you should read this book. If you've ever felt like a square peg in a round hole, read this book. If your political convictions have ever come up against an immovable barrier of conscience, read this book. If you've never experienced war first-hand, read this book. If your sexuality has, even just occasionally, seemed like some strange elusive thing and you've spent too much time worrying "What the fuck AM I?" read this book.

Look, just read the fucking book. show less

There was a clear generational divide in views with this month’s read. Our over 60s found Magda to be noticeably self-absorbed and indulgent in the telling of her story. Most felt it a result of therapy sessions and although interesting and in some ways topical, it lacked the punch and depth to really engage.
Those in the younger (albeit, not by much) category found Magda to be quite stimulating and thought-provoking. They found she came across resilient and easily relatable. Her struggle show more with her sexuality and father’s history took precedent over her career milestones, which enhanced the story for some but proved a weakness for others.
There were comments surrounding Magda’s father/daughter relationship and whether she was able to come to terms with what she knew of his involvement in the Warsaw resistance. This obviously made a strong impression on her as a child, and may have halted their relationship in a number of ways. Was the writing of Reckoning her means of dispelling the demons left by such knowledge? Some believed so, but also believed that it was unsuccessful to the point of reconciliation. “She still appears a troubled and confused woman” was one comment.
We found ourselves in lively conversation about the distinction between generations and parenting styles, and of course the highly publicised discussion on same-sex relationships. As a club we don’t tend to read many biographies, so for a genre shift it proved an interesting reading exercise which resulted in an even more interesting conversation. Thank you ladies, it’s been another great year! show less

Magda Szubanski lets readers know that Reckoning is not a fluffy celeb memoir straight out of the gate, with this stunning opening sentence: If you had met my father you would never, not for an instant, have thought he was an assassin.

From there, the book follows two main threads. Equally gripping, both are concerned with reconciling difficult parts of family history and of the self. The first is the story of her father, who executed traitors as part of the Polish resistance during World War show more II, and the impact his actions had on him and on his family. It unfolds almost like a detective novel, as Szubanski crisscrosses the globe uncovering clues to explain her complex family history. The second theme is Szubanski's long and painful journey towards accepting her gay identity. She writes with searing honesty about the depression that blanketed her life for years after she realised the nature of her 'difference' from other girls, driving her at times to contemplate suicide. Of her shame regarding her sexuality, her weight and her endless striving to meet her father's exacting standards.

Despite its sometimes bleak subject matter, Reckoning is not a plea for pity. It is an account of Szubanski's lifelong struggle to understand her family and herself. It's a journey all of us take, but few are able to sum up as beautifully. Highly recommended. show less

this book was so much more than I expected. I thought it would be about Magda coming to grips with bieng gay but it was so much more than that. The thing that resonated the most was her relationship with her father and how the terrible events in Poland during the war ( where he was a resistance fighter who killed for guns at the age of 15) shaped him and then shaped Magda herself. From the domineering push to succeed at tennis, to forget and make a new life in Croydon in the 1950s., to show more Magda's journeys back to Poland to connect with the family and make sense of her father. This is a fascinating story.
It resonated a lot with me as she grew up in the same Eastern suburbs of Melbourne as I did and talks about many of the places that I grew up with also. Although she is 8 years older than me, I could relate to her childhood and the opinions of the times when she was growing up. The most heart breaking part is the fact that she hid that she was gay from her parents for so long because she was afraid they would disown her. Some of the laws she talks about in Victoria in the 1980s are terrible and I am so glad that my children live in an age of tolerance and acceptance. Truly riveting, I read this book in one day! show less